Saturday, Chris and I drove down to Robyn’s on Kylie to celebrate Timothy’s birthday. It was a warm, sunny day and the ride down was really enjoyable. Also, it was nice to get away from the city and have a small break from steadily approaching thesis and project deadlines. We spent most of Saturday in the garden with the two little ones, enjoying the sunshine. When evening came, we took Tara for a long walk in the fields and countryside, disturbing a great many sleeping pheasants and rabbits in the process and getting our clothes stuck on barbed wire.
Sunday, more friends and family arrived to celebrate Timothy’s birthday, and Chris started the project of refitting a gate to Mat’s enclosure. We headed back to Bristol later that afternoon after a lovely (as always) stay at the farm.
It has been a wonderful day. Earlier today, Danish Crown Prince Frederik married his fiancée at a beautiful ceremony in central Copenhagen. More than one hundred thousand people had lined the streets and were waving Australian and Danish flags. After the ceremony the couple went by open carriage, escorted by horses, to the Danish Royal Palace, Amalienborg. Here crowds of well wishers had gathered, waving to the couple, who had positioned themselves on the balcony. Following the 'balcony-scene', Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary continued to Fredensborg in North Zealand to celebrate with family and friends. Luckily, DR's online broadcast worked (almost) perfectly; I 'borrowed' this picture from their website Royal Wedding.
Highlights from the reception, were also broadcast online, including speeches by Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary's father and the groom, and the romantic and traditional wedding walse towards the end of the evening. No doubt, my eyes will be somewhat puffy tomorrow morning!
It is the evening before the day most Danes have been eagerly anticipating for months. Tomorrow, the Danish Crown Prince marries his Tasmanian fiancée, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson. The wedding will take place in Copenhagen followed by a carriage ride through the streets. It promises to be truly amazing, and I only wish I could be there in person. Instead, I'll be glued to the computer, following the events unfold online. My friend (and proud royalist) Bodil sent me this fantastic shot of the couple leaving the Danish Royal Theatre earlier tonight: Crown Prince Frederik and Mary
This afternoon, Chris's workmates rejoined for a new season of “rounders” (a simplified version of the Danish “rundbold”). Their team won last season, and I (as their loyal and only supporter) is convinced they have what it takes to do it again! It’s always great fun to watch them play - mainly because there’s no shortage of innovative jumps when it comes to crossing fourth base. Later, we met up with Nath and Sim for a curry. It was great to see them both again, and we had a really nice – although far too short - evening.
Determined to improve our fitness, Chris and I have joined the gym, and today we made the most of Bank holiday Monday and tested the facilities. They were excellent, particularly the steam room, sauna and pool.
Feeling healthy and reenergized, we spent the rest of the sunny afternoon driving through villages in the Chew Valley. I can’t remember ever seeing so many beautiful cottages - and the odd restored and converted water mill - and wonderfully ancient village churches in one place, amidst a green countryside and numerous creeks. We particularly liked the village of Chew Magna (setting aside that the place name sounds more like a volcano than anything else!), which featured a picturesque town centre, impressive manor houses, most of which were probably listed, and the ancient village church of St. Andrew.
Despite gloomy weather forecasts, today turned out sunny and pleasantly mild. So we decided on a bike ride to Abergavenny with Chris and Hayley. Abergavenny is situated 30 miles from Bristol in South Wales in the valley of the River Usk, amidst a beautiful countryside, forests, and is surrounded on three sides by hills, which form the southern end of the Black Mountains. It is also a preferred destination for 'bikers', with 50 odd bikes - seemingly at any one time - gathering there on weekends. Today was no exception.